Gameday preview: UNLV

The UNLV Rebels come to town trying to do something they were supposed to do frequently this year, and haven't: win multiple games in a row. This was the season the defense caught up with the offense, that Sanford would look like the slow-bake genius for hauling in a class of JUCO safeties and corners, that the d-line would finally reach its run-stopping potential.

Through the tough loss to Oregon State, the win over Hawaii, and the embarrassing loss at Wyoming, that train still looked like it was on the tracks, though wobbly at times. Then Nevada came to town, and blew the holy bejeebers out of the Rebels, who didn't recover until a trip to the very forgiving Lobos last week. Now this beleaguered squad comes to Fort Worth, where they have never won (and averaged 27-point losses!).

Have the Rebs any bright spots to focus on, during the coming beat down? Yes. D-end/ linebacker Jason Beauchamp and linebacker Starr Fuimaono are playing closer to 100% than they have in more than a month. Veterans right tackle Evan Marchal and left tackle Matt Murphy are better prepped to battle standout Frog DEs Jerry Hughes and Wayne Daniels than they were last year. And QB Omar Clayton is coming off one of his best performances, healthy and ready to search the Frog D for weaknesses. WR Ryan Wolfe (pictured) is at his- and the MWC's- best. Truth is, however, everybody has their best week against New Mexico, and worst against TCU. So, it remains to be seen if UNLV can find any more traction against the fearsome purple attack than the other teams that have failed to do so.

Look for a spirited first half, but a widening blowout at the hands of TCU's second and third teams. TCU 49, UNLV 17.

TCU 38, BYU 7

It's hard to sum up as stupendous a performance as TCU's thrashing of BYU in Provo on Saturday. But perhaps this stat will do some of the job: Max Hall was sacked five times, by four different Horned Frog defensive linemen. That kind of domination in the trenches bodes very well for TCU's hopes to win out and spend Christmas and New Year's Eve preparing for their last game.

Superlatives: Andy Dalton was clearly the better quarterback on the field Saturday. Found receivers in tight spaces, sometimes while scrambling (the long conversion to Bart Johnson while running from a blitzer was a thing of beauty). The line gave him room, and time, too. New starter Blaise Foltz gelled well with the other big men up front. Johnson, Kerley, Young, and Hicks were superb catching the ball-- Young somehow got a toe in while turned around to haul in a long bomb from Dalton, with a safety breathing down his jersey; Hicks pulled in the highlight 75-yarder from Dalton in the third quarter; and Kerley... was Kerley. He caught what came his way, and dished it out, too (see below).

Also noteworthy: the playcalling.

Once again, it's clear the Frogs held back during the first half of the season, waiting to pounce on BYU with new and devastating plays. This time it didn't almost cost the Frogs a loss early on (CSU last season being the almost-loss in '08), but it paid off just as handsomely. The OCs snuck a double-reverse pass in on a first down in the second quarter that blew the top off the game. Jeremy Kerley, dropping further and further back, threw off his back foot 40 yards to Bart Johnson. The Frogs went up 14-0 a few plays later.

Now comes the significantly less glamorous task of not biffing one, namely in tougher-than-advertized trips to San Diego and Laramie. Home games against UNLV and New Mexico really shouldn't challenge the Frogs much.

(Note the conspicuous absence of the Utah game above: that'll be the highest-intensity night in Fort Worth this season.)

Meanwhile, TCU needs to get to work and discover how Harvey Unga, and last week Leonard Mason, were able to run all over the Frogs. There's not an all-conference back on the Frogs' remaining schedule, but TCU is certain to meet a good one in a bowl game, if they continue their winning ways.

And what else for the Cougars, who're spending this off-week watching what credibility they'd preserved from their big win on opening day swish down the proverbial toilet? Number 25 said it best, on his eye-black during the game: R.I.P. May you rest in peace, reputation as the MWC boss, echoes of a national championship, Heisman buzz for Max Hall, and resolve to redeem yourselves for last year's football sins. BYU must reinvent itself, and in the meantime, TCU skates further ahead.


Via con dios, Cougars. You'll need all the help you can get: TCU, Utah, Wyoming, SDSU, AFA, and CSU ain't waiting up for you. (UNM and UNLV might, though...)




Here're the highlights:

Next up:

It's here: the season's great road conference test for the Frogs. With butterflies in their stomachs, your Wimple correspondents dutifully will pile into a (far too small) sedan in just a few hours, headed northwest for about 20 hours, whereupon they'll crash with some friends (and BYU alums).

Necessaries: purple facepaint? Check.

Ostensibly illegal TCU flag? Check.

Pants wide enough to sneak said ostensibly illegal flag into the stadium? Check.

Posters & markers with which to harangue the kewgies? Check.

Megaphone? Check.

Apologies to nearby fans who wish to enjoy the game in anything resembling peace and quiet? Check.

Further reports will be from the visitor's section, on left edge of the far endzone section (click on the photo for a much larger visualization). From those seats the Wimple saw Jeff Ballard's grand debut in '05. Here's to Andy Dalton's first truly great road triumph, Saturday night!

BYU gameday preview

The Wimple goes to gameday format early this week, because the Wimples are driving to Provo for this one. TCU v. BYU isn't just another conference game: it has begun to feel like a rivalry. And only a few thousand TCU fans got tickets, the Wimple figures the Horned Frogs will need every screaming purple-painted supporter they can get. So, it's to the bleachers this weekend.

Since joining the conference, TCU and BYU have split the four decisions between them, one close and one blowout going to each team; both blowouts came in Fort Worth, while both close games were in Provo. The Wimples were in Provo for the first in the series, which still engenders controversy. Did Cory Rodgers cross the plane of the endzone before losing the football? (Gordon Monson, a SL-Tribune sports writer who stood at the goal line for that play thought so, see Gordon Monson, End of BYU Game Was No Photo Finish, Salt Lake Tribune, Sep. 27, 2005, p. C-1, article ID 10CFD8714B3CCCF0.) From the Wimples' seats were 110 yards away from the game's last play, but the day is fondly etched in the their memories. The weather was beautiful; the crowd was rowdy but dispersed with remarkable speed, tails tucked under. Jeff Ballard had his coming out party that day, leading the Frogs on five consecutive touchdown drives.

The 2006 rematch was as different as imaginable. TCU was high as a kite, having smothered Texas Tech in a touchdown-less grudge match two weeks before, for the nation-leading 13th straight win. BYU's John Beck converted ten third- or fourth-downs with clutch passes, building a 21-point lead before the game's finish. In 2007, first-year quarterbacks Max Hall and Andy Dalton battled to a close but second straight victory for BYU. Again, BYU beat the Frogs by converting seven third downs through the air, and also stopping the Frogs' rushing game.

TCU outmatched BYU thoroughly in '08, the second time in three years that a nation-leading winning streak ended in Fort Worth. This time it was BYU's eight-game streak that wouldn't become nine. The Frogs sacked Hall six times (Fonua gets one of them, pictured), and intercepted him twice (almost three times). Jeremy Kerley burst on the scene, running the Wild Frog for the first time in '08, with devastating effect. BYU eventually corralled Kerley, but too late. TCU's 26-point lead shortly after halftime was the largest lead either team had held in the series history.

The Cougars have bottled up the disappointment from that game, saving it for game prep this week. They have had a season of remarkable highs and lows, while TCU has quietly built an eight-game winning streak (stretching through last season's win against AFA). Max Hall and his backup run a little more this year; BYU has relied a lot more on its runningbacks generally, too. Hall is spreading the ball around better, and Dennis Pitta is making a good case for best tight end in the nation. The four new starters on the Cougar o-line have performed very well this season. Weak points? Max Hall was an interception machine until two games ago; and the Cougars have given up a lot more points thus far compared to last season. They're susceptible to a good ground game.

Meanwhile, the Frogs also rely on a multi-headed running game, and spread the ball around better, too. Some questioned this year's TCU d-line, and they have answered. Griffin, Grant, and Daniels are having a stellar year as the sideshow to Jerry Hughes's second monster season in a row. Weak points? The Frogs have fumbled away dozens of points, often slowing themselves in the first half of games. A quick start-- or a quick falter-- at BYU may be a game-decider.

More likely, however, the game will turn on the intensity with with each team plays. There's no doubt BYU will be hitting hard and running fast this Saturday; they've had this game circled for 53 weeks. TCU, on the other hand, hasn't taken truly ferocious intensity with them to the state of Utah since joining the conference-- and probably much longer. Unless the Frogs' out-muscling of Clemson in Death Valley, and out-lasting of Air Force in polar conditions mean this team has learned to generate its own superior intensity on the road, TCU will not beat BYU. Noise and cold the Frogs have beaten this year; but altitude and a revenge-minded squad? That's a new test that the Wimple has always maintained the Frogs will not best, although it will be a heart-crushingly close try. BYU 33, TCU 32.

TCU 44, Colorado State 6

After a rocky start, wherein Leonard Mason sliced and diced the Frog D for 42 yards on seven carries before an injury, TCU put the screws to Colorado State and rolled off 44 unanswered points to set up the season's first Big Game.

Dalton was hot, passing over 65% for 2 TDs and no interceptions; but the Frogs did the real damage on the ground, where fourteen different players took turns toting the rock, scoring three TDs, and averaging 6.0 ypc. True freshman Skye Dawson made his debut as a ballcarrier, running a blazing option twice for 47 yards, and adding a new chapter to Bronco Mendenhall's (already large) book of Horned Frog Headaches. Kerley added another highlight reel performance, including his second punt return for a touchdown in three games.

After Mason's injury, the defense was superb. Colin Jones led the team with seven tackles; Hughes got three sacks (two in the official statistics); Sanders returned to the lineup; Daryl Washington brought the pain.

Now all eyes (including ESPN's Gameday) move to Provo, where the (#7 coaches, #8 BCS, #10 AP) Frogs face their biggest game since their last foray into the Beehive State. More on that in a couple days.

photo: Keith Robinson

Here're the highlights.

Hug your loved ones, the world's coming to a close.

Word has filtered out that ESPN Gameday is going to the TCU-BYU game in a week.

And that world hunger has been solved.

CSU gameday preview

The Frogs' second conference game comes against one of the four teams never to beat the Frogs in a conference game. Little suggests that will change Saturday.

CSU boasts the nation's most experienced line, all five of whom played TCU last season. Countering them, is a Frogs' defensive front that has proven itself nearly as fearsome as last season's seasoned four. The Rams could not generate a push against TCU last year for Gartrell Johnson, and will be no more successful this season for Leonard Mason and John Mosure. How's the Frogs' ground game? Very well, thank you. TCU averages 215 ypg, to CSU's 127. Maybe experience up front can be overplayed.

Colorado State has missed Gartrell Johnson, and while Leonard Mason progresses into running in fair replacement to Johnson, the Rams have a decent long passing game, and try to beat teams in the air. Here to, however, the Frogs are higher in the stack than the Rams. This season's Ram starting QB has been effective at replacing Billy Farris, who quietly led the second-most prolific passing attack in the conference. Grant Stucker is currently second to Max Hall among MWC QBs in passing yards. However, he's fifth in QB rating (Farris was one spot higher). TCU's Dalton rated fifth in the conference last season (Farris: fourth); this season he's second; who's fifth? Stucker.

How about defense? It's not close: TCU gives up half as many TDs and 130 ypg less than CSU. Las Vegas says TCU wins by about 22 points; it's hard to disagree.

TCU 20, Air Force 17

It was ugly (similar in many ways to the Colorado State game last season) but still a W, and in any good season there are some squeakers. Chalk this up in that category for now, and in a few weeks we'll know if it was merely a hiccup, or the signal for worse things.

Dalton had a hard time finding receivers with warm enough fingers to catch balls; Jimmy Young proved the softest-handed, and finshed the night with six grabs and 113 yards. Andy also ran for crucial yards, again using the "slice" play. Joe Turner and Jeremy Kerley combined for three fumbles (AFA jumped on two of 'em, Turner's turnover coming at the AFA 7, stopping a 68 yard TCU drive).

The o-line was flat, allowing three sacks; Newhouse played but did not start for the second week in a row. Jerry Hughes got credit for all of one tackle.

On the bright side, Ross Evans was flawless, hitting 2 points after and 2 field goals. In the end, it was a mirror image of TCU's 2007 three point loss at AFA; this time TCU grounded the Falcons and flew away winners (after a de-icing delay at the airport).

photo: AP

Here're the highlights.

What we learned, week 6

Air Force: 17-20 loss v. TCU. Gotta hand it to the Falcons here-- they played gutsy football, and were admirably unrelenting. TCU pushed them around pretty consistently until the last quarter, but AFA hung in there, clearly wanting it more. The Falcons, led by backup QB Connor Dietz, forced three turnovers, which kept the game close. Two of those came in the redzone, preventing TCU drives of 58 and 68 yards from turning into 14 points for the Frogs. But in the end, Air Force's lines were brilliant. AFA sacked Andy Dalton three times, and in conjunction with a remarkably inhospitable Mother Nature, demoralized the Horned Frogs. Key stat: AFA completed 7 of 18 passes, including one halfback pass for a TD. When AFA's passes keep a defense honest, its running game can excel. AFA ran for 287 yards, or 240 more than TCU's average allowed in the season's first four games.

BYU: 59-21 win at UNLV. It's still not the pass-first, pass-second, and pass-third BYU that we've all grown to know and love/hate, but it certainly was efficient. The Cougars ran well over half the time, garnering almost seven ypc. Hall didn't throw any interceptions, and completed 75% of his passes. The defense was stout and opportunistic, grabbing three UNLV passes and holding the Rebs for under three ypc. Key stat: seven Cougars grabbed multiple passes. BYU is on cruise control, looking world-class against the dregs of its schedule.

Colorado State: 17-24 loss v. Utah. This one has to hurt just a smidge more than an average conference loss. CSU gave up 14 points on turnovers and seven more on a 47-yard TD pass in the last 19 minutes of the game. In the end, it was a shootout and Utah has better horses than CSU for that kind of game. The Utes outgained CSU only 0.4 ypc on average; CSU didn't convert nearly as many third downs as Utah, but that may not have mattered were it not for the interceptions. Key stat: Leonard Mason has broken out; he ran for 130 yards on 24 carries against the Utes' formerly-fearsome rush defense. Colorado State, despite its three-game skid, is a rising threat in the conference. Expect another loss at TCU this week, before the win-loss column turns again toward the Rams' favor.

New Mexico: 37-13 loss at Wyoming. Well, maybe those breakthrough hopes that accompanied the Lobos solid performance against Texas Tech last week might have come with a force majeure clause; snow, ice, wind, and cold weather dogged New Mexico in Laramie, icing the southern team's ground game (UNM couldn't best 2 ypc). Add critical penalties (8 for 64 yards), and a couple interceptions, and suddenly New Mexico is staring at 0-6. Key stat: again the Lobos were abysmal on 3rd or 4th down, converting only 4 of 17. This week's performance, notwithstanding the elements, was the very picture of uninspired football. Coach L had better light a fire under his players in a hurry, or he'll become easier and easier to replace, much sooner than expected.

San Diego State: bye.

TCU: 20-17 win at Air Force. The Wimple acknowledges ignorance about how inclement (in this case extremely cold) weather affects football players and plays. It was 19 degrees, with a wind and drizzle at 5:30 PM gametime in Colorado Springs on Saturday. Add a sour week in practice previously, and probably TCU is lucky have escaped with a win and only a two-spot drop in the AP poll (the Frogs rose a spot in the coaches' poll). Key stat: TCU's o-line allowed three sacks. That hasn't happened since... since... (still checking). The Frogs need to bounce back into dominant form: for example, not allowing three sacks, and not fumbling in the red zone. If TCU indeed does bounce back, this win will end up looking like the CSU win last season. If not, it'll look like BYU's New Mexico win last season: prelude to the fall.

UNLV: 21-59 loss v. BYU. This is getting awfully repetitive: UNLV gave away the crown jewels, or the line of scrimmage, and lost by a ton. BYU outgained UNLV on average 4.4 more ypc., and held the ball ten more minutes than the Rebels. And that's not as bad as it's been for the Rebels this season! Hopes for a turnaround in Las Vegas under Coach Sanford have fled. Key stat: BYU scored 14 points off drives it began by intercepting the Rebels. This would have been a close game had those points gone to UNLV instead.

Utah: 24-17 win at Colorado State. Utah looked fairly flat for about 40 minutes, and then turned on its jets. Terrance Cain connected with David Reed for a 47-yard TD pass 4 minutes before the fourth quarter, and it was all Utah from then until the end. Robert Johnson picked off three Grant Stucker passes, ending each of CSU's remaining drives. Cain engineered touchdowns off two of those INTs, leading Utah to his most impressive victory this season. Key stat: Eddie Wide ran for just over 100 yards on 17 tries. The Utes may not miss Matt Asiata as much as they'd feared.

Wyoming: 37-13 win v. New Mexico. The Cowboys proved an inhospitable host to the Lobos, forcing New Mexico to play one-dimensionally. UNM couldn't manage 2 ypc, while Wyoming executed a very balanced attack. Carta-Samuels led the snowy show, passing adequately (only 50%, but 3 TDs, 0 INTs) but running well. He tallied 54 yards on 10 carries, while freshman Alvester Alexander and Brandon Stewart chugged for 128 yards on 29 carries, and 2 TDs. Key stat: again the Lobos were abysmal on 3rd or 4th down, converting only 4 of 17. Key stat: Wyoming converted almost half of its third and fourth downs (45%). Add stiff run defense, and it appears Wyoming has vacated the conference's basement about a year sooner than expected.

AFA gameday preview

The Frogs begin conference play in chilly Colorado Springs, facing a depleted version of one of the trickiest offenses in the nation, and a much fuller-strength version of a national top defense. Air Force's triple-option ground attack was brought nigh unto perfection last season with Tim Jefferson, Asher Clarke, and a young offensive line. Almost the entire offense returned this year, but seems to be suffering a collective sophomore slump. The Academy's starting QB and TB have both been playing under subpar physical condition, while their best receiver is just beginning to take snaps again in practice, after breaking a leg during the summer. Emotionally, the cadets have got to be reeling from the narrow overtime miss last week against Navy, (and missing their best linebacker, injured in that game) and the brooding threat of facing the MWC's best team this week.

Were that the entire list of bad news about this game, the Frogs' prognosis would be very good indeed. But all is not peaches coming out of Fort Worth, either. Mother Nature seems to have adopted the Academy's mood following the loss to Navy, and has a frigid, windy, wet night in store. One very reliable source says the Frog players were unfocused this week, and practiced very poorly. There are some foes for which poor practices may not bode too ill, but AFA is a team that will exploit mistakes: they're +13 in turnovers so far this season (leading the nation on average average), and have scored five defensive TDs in that span. Offensively, the Frogs simply cannot afford to make mistakes.

Defensively, TCU faces the same imperative. AFA converts a slightly higher percentage of third downs than TCU (44% to 41%), but does so largely on the ground. TCU has the best rush-defense in the nation, but has not played an option-based attack this season. While expected ground leaders Tim Jefferson and Asher Clarke have been playing injured, Savier Stevens (pictured) has picked up some of the slack, and leads the Falcons' so far in ground yards. The Academy's star lineman, Nick Charles, is back on the field.

Is there good news to take some of the "trap" out of this conference opener? Much of it. Most of the defensive players for TCU have prepared for the AFA attack three or four times already. Only Tank Carder has less experience with it, among the starters (Carder has seen it twice). Dalton and the offense take to Colorado Springs the bitter memory of the '07 overtime loss, (the frustration of that loss is evident in the photo from it at left) and a vast store of experience acquired since then. If the Frogs will focus and be assignment sound, they'll keep the ball to themselves. On the flip side, Air Force has had difficulty scoring more than field goals; their offense hasn't found the endzone in its last two games. Little about the TCU defense suggests they'll rediscover it frequently this weekend. Surely they'll run plays TCU hasn't seen, but if the Frogs play to most of their potential, AFA's innovation simply won't matter.

And that's the big if. TCU has shown only glimpses of its potential this season. The Frogs must show a lot more of it today if they're going to keep this game uninteresting, and be able to leverage it into a rise in the polls. The Wimple sees the Frogs pull away after haltime tomorrow, and win unsatisfyingly by about two scores. Otherwise, it may come down to giving Ross Evans a chance to redeem his reputation for prowess at high-pressure field goals. Let's hope Evans (and all of Frogdom) is spared that ordeal. TCU 27, AFA 14.

For further reading: Spitblood; AP; Colorado Springs Gazette; KFC's David May; BleacherReport; SportingNews.

What we learned: week 5

The Tally: 19-15 overall, 5-9 v. the cartel, 5-7 v. '08 bowl teams, 6-0 v. 2A teams.
(2008 tally: 23-10 overall, 7-5 v. the cartel, 6-5 v. '07 bowl teams, 5-1 v. 2A teams;
2007 tally: 14-16 overall, 5-9 v. the cartel, 2-13 v. '06 bowl teams, 3-0 v. 2A teams.)

Air Force: 13-16 OT loss at Navy. The hex continues-- AFA has dropped seven contests in a row to Navy, most of them by just a few points. As with all narrowly decided games, one could point to just one mistake (usually one of many) and say, "But for that error, the outcome would have been..." And how tempting, but incorrect. One cannot separate one mistake from all the others-- and from the opponent's mistakes, etc. So, for Air Force: its futility converting third downs (just three of 16), and kicking crucial field goals, and play calling, etc... it all haunts in Colorado Springs this week. And what worse time to haunt could there be? TCU comes calling in a few days. Tim Jefferson played some and sat out some, and Asher Clark again wasn't a ground-eating machine. Key stat: Jefferson and Clark combined for only 49 yards on 13 carries. AFA is a wounded bird, when it can least afford it.

BYU: 35-17 win v. Utah State. Question: when does BYU rush twice as many times as it passes? Answer: when Max Hall's TD:INT ratio is 1:1! Or perhaps that's just how it seemed Friday. It appears even Bronco Mendenhall sees the wisdom in the old football saying, "Three things can happen when you throw the ball, and two of 'em are bad." Hall threw three TDs and two more INTs, but the Cougars' lines overpowered the Aggie lines. Harvey Unga ran all over the Aggies, tallying 118 in 21 carries. Utah State managed less than three ypc. Key stat: Luke Ashworth filled in for the injured McKay Jacobson very nicely, netting five catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. The cupboard in Provo is deep, and well stocked.

Colorado State: 29-31 loss at Idaho. Who would have told you, five weeks ago, that this post would include the second "loss at Idaho" for the conference? SDSU's loss was marginally excusable, as a bad habit. But Colorado State? Shelley Smith was back at LG; Grant Stucker had a pretty good game; his receivers were OK (19-35 for just under 300 yards and 4 TDs), his rushers decent (Mosure and Mason ran for 4.6 ypc). CSU's rush defense was good (2.1 ypc allowed). Pass defense was weak-- the top two Vandal receivers turned 18 catches into 282 yards and three TDs. Key stat: Idaho blocked a PAT and kept Leonard Mason inches away from the endzone in a two-point conversion attempt in the game's final minutes that would have evened the score. In the end, it appears CSU hasn't learned to take sufficient intensity with it to win close games on the road.

New Mexico: 28-48 loss at Texas Tech. This fifth loss for 2009 has genuinely redeeming features-- the first of the year. New Mexico held Tech to 7 points for 29:59; third-string runningback A.J. Butler ran for over 100 yards; the offense produced three TDs; UNM was +3 in turnovers. Maybe Mike Locksley has turned the ship around to face winning again. Key stat: ten different Lobos caught passes, six of them multiple times. The spread requires completed passes, and this is New Mexico's first showing that all of its players can do that.

San Diego State: 34-17 win v. New Mexico State. Don't look now, (and apparently nobody in San Diego is) but SDSU is developing a home winning streak. This makes three in a row, for still-dwindling crowds. Ryan Lindley didn't have much to do with it (26% completions); chalk this one up to the o-line (3.5 ypc) and defense: it forced five turnovers and held NMSU to less than 2 ypc. Key stat: Walter Kazee's debut: 22 carries, 101 yards. Brady Hoke has needed somebody to step up on the ground, and Kazee shows he's a winning card in Hoke's yet-too-small deck.

TCU: 39-14 win v. SMU. The Horned Frogs began the game like an unranked, unmotivated, rainy-day squad, giving up the ball twice in the game's first ten minutes (although the first of those is forgivable: the ballcarrier was knocked out cold in the fumble-forcing tackle!) Senior Joe Turner rallied the troops, though, and the tables turned. SMU held the ball less than eight minutes in the second half, and let the Frogs' three-prong ground attack (Turner, Wesley, Tucker) get over 5 ypc. Dalton had his worst game, completing only 60% of his passes and an INT. He threw two TDs, however. Key stat: the Frogs won the field position battle consistently, starting only one drive behind their own 30 yard line, and six of 13 drives in SMU territory. Another key stat: safety Alex Ibiloye led the team in tackles, with eight. His step-up is a key to settling a secondary is still searching for its identity in the wake of personel losses this offseason.

UNLV: 23-68 loss at Nevada. Did anything go right Saturday in Reno? UNLV's alleged defense, which has been highly suspect (at best!) all year, went on strike for the second half against Nevada, giving up 42 points in 30 minutes. The Wolpack averaged over ten ypc. on the night, and despite four turnovers, failed to catch only three of 19 passes. Key stat: UNLV managed only 2.6 ypc. This was a one-sided shootout, and perhaps the lowest of many lows in Mike Sanford's tenous career in Las Vegas.

Utah: bye.

Wyoming: 30-28 win at Florida Atlantic. It is tempting to say Wyoming's ship is turning around-- winning with their new scheme is a critical step the Cowboys took Saturday. But prudence requires one mind the inconsistency that will certainly dog Wyoming this season, and perhaps next. But green shoots clearly were in evidence; Wyoming held the ball ten minutes longer than the Owls; they ran it well and often. But best is this week's Key stat: Cowboys caught twelve of Austyn Carta-Samuels first thirteen passes, and 17 of the remaining 25: verily a solid performance. This is more than a green shoot; it is notice to the MWC: Wyoming is already out of the MWC's basement (see UNLV), and will even be dangerous soon enough. Intermittently, for now, but there is hope in Laramie.

TCU 39, SMU 14

Despite two turnovers, and playing over ten minutes on defense in the first frame, and only a five-point lead at halftime, TCU slowly roused itself and dominated SMU in the very rainy second half, scoring twice in third and fourth quarters each.

Jeremy Kerley was unstoppable, tacking up 175 return yards, including the Frogs' first punt-return for a touchdown in six years. He also caught four passes for 48 yards.

Ibiloye, Hughes, Washington, and Daniels had banner nights on D. The safety tallied eight solo tackles; the seniors combined for 13 tackles (four for losses), an interception, and 3.5 sacks; Daniels had two PBUs (the official stats miss one).

Even with a so-so (for him) night, Dalton still leads the conference, rated over 160. TCU tops the MWC in points-per-game (34.8).

Ryan Christian and Tanner Brock knocked themselves out, Christian's hit coming accidentally, and Brock's coming off a block with his (bare!) head during Kerley's 71-yard touchdown punt return, earning him ESPN lauds. Both left the field on their own legs.

Here're the highlights.